


Let It Go

by rainingover



Category: B.A.P, K-pop
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sports, Football | Soccer, Gen, I just watched a ton of youtube videos of world cup celebrations, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-18 04:32:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4692206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainingover/pseuds/rainingover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Apparently, being crowned World Cup champions is kind of marred for you when you missed your penalty.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let It Go

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the B.A.P Bingo Challenge Sports AU prompt.

Apparently, being crowned World Cup champions is kind of marred for you when you missed your penalty. 

The thing is, Himchan _knows_ that his miss has meant nothing to the overall result; his failure to get the ball into the back of the net forgotten as the opposition fail to score yet another penalty and South Korea wins the World Cup with four penalties scored to three. But, still, it's not quite the same.

Cheers ring out around the stadium as his teammates roar with jubilation. As some jump into each others arms and others collapse to the floor to regain their strength for the celebration to come. Himchan allows his knees to buckle, lies down, feels the ground cold against the back of his calves, wet grass tickling the back of his neck, Closes his eyes and replays his failure as he stares up at the floodlights.

Himchan watches the ball travel in slow motion, watches as the opposition goalkeeper leaps towards the top left corner of the net. Watches as the tip of a gloved finger comes into contact with the ball and that's it -- his one chance, his big moment is over.

He sees the fear mixed with disappointment in the eyes of his teammates as he turns back to face them: a row of tense bodies, arms slung around each other's shoulders, a wall of hope and desperation. No one looks him in the eye, already focused on the opposition player taking their own spot in front of the goal.

He turns back towards the goal just in time to watch the opposition's last attempt on target land safely, easily, in the capable arms of Choi Junhong, their goalkeeper of one year. Himchan looks up at the sky in relief that his mistake has had little consequence, and then allows his legs to collapse beneath him.

He stares into night sky, reliving this three minute sequence in a loop until it is interrupted by screams, by Daehyun falling to his knees and laughing as he pulls Himchan up into a hug. Junhong joins in from the other side, pulls Himchan out of Daehyun's embrace and onto his feet. His gloves are on the floor beside the goal now. He's the youngest member of the team, and he's just saved the most important goal of his life. Blonde hair sticking to his forehead, his face is radiant, and it distracts Himchan from the brick in his stomach long enough for him to be pulled into the throng of his teammates.

They hug, they laugh, some of them cry. Then, they compose themselves for long enough to collect their medals, their trophy (their World Cup trophy! _Theirs_! Himchan can hardly believe it) and then they fall apart again along with the crowd, as Yongguk lifts the trophy into the air with a triumphant, gummy grin.

Himchan can't deny that the atmosphere is electric as they make their way towards the podium for press shots and interviews, for music and Champagne, and yet he's still thinking about how it would have made so much more of a worthy headline to have performed the perfect penalty shoot out. _Five_ perfect penalties. That's how Himchan had always imagined it.

Maybe he's been hyping this up for too long, (you know, like, his whole entire life) Himchan thinks, as champagne rains from above him and drips from his eyelashes. Maybe he's been so focused on his performance, that he's forgotten how to just let it all go and enjoy the moment. Himchan has always found it easy to get hung up on that one tiny thing; on one article in the paper, in one tweet from someone masquerading as a fan, on one bad training session. He guesses things aren't going to magically change tonight. He just wishes they would.

As the cameras pan around the podium, Himchan catches Yongguk's eye, or maybe it's Yongguk who catches his. Yongguk is surrounded by staff and he's all but drenched in Champagne, but then of course he is -- he's the team captain, after all. He smiles and shakes his head, and it's like he knows what Himchan is thinking. Hell, he probably does. He always seems to know what they're all thinking, it's what makes him such an amazing captain, and Himchan appreciates it.

Yongguk is pulled away to the front of the stage for photos just as Youngjae is announced over the speakers as the official Man of the Match, and he allows himself a smile as he watches Youngjae's face light up.

Youngjae deserves the gigantic grin he has plastered across his face as Daehyun appears from nowhere and showers him with kisses, arms wrapped around Youngjae's waist, practically carrying him through the crowd of men and towards the waiting press. Himchan feels a pang of sadness, wants to be there, kissing Youngjae's alcohol soaked hair and roaring with the crowd, instead of standing towards the back of the podium, trying to remind himself that he deserves to be here, despite his inability to put the goal in the back of the net on this occasion.

Jongup is next to him suddenly, trophy lopsided in his grip. His arms are wet, champagne (so much champagne) pouring from the side. He holds it out, shouts, "You haven't drank from it yet," over the crowd.

"I don't think I want to." Himchan peers inside. The liquid is mixed with confetti and streamers and what seems to be clumps of grass.

"You'll regret it tomorrow if you don't." Jongup smiles. "It's tradition to drink from the trophy."

Himchan takes it, takes a swig, spits out confetti and leans in closer to Jongup's ear. "What do you think the newspapers are going to say about me?"

"What?"

"About my missed penalty. What do you think they'll say about me in the press?"

Jongup looks at Himchan like he's lost his memory. "That you missed it."

Himchan curls his lip.

"You did miss, you can't change that." Jongup shrugs. "What you _can_ do is make a decision not to dwell on it."

"I can't-- I keep replaying it in my head."

"You were unlucky. It was an amazing save." Jongup passes on the trophy to another player. Says, "Even Yoo over there couldn't have got that into the back of the net."

"You really think so?" Himchan thinks that Jongup might be lying, but if he's going to let this go, he's going to need extra reassurance, lies or not.

Jongup reaches over, picks a streamer out of Himchan's hair. "When all of this is over we'll go to my hotel room and watch it on youtube, you'll see. It was just a great save."

"When all of this is over I'm going to stay in bed and sleep for, like, twenty hours," Himchan says.

Jongup laughs. "We can watch youtube in bed and then sleep for twenty _four_ hours, if you want."

"Okay."

Jongup grins. "Shall we go and drink champagne and let Daehyun kiss our faces for the camera?"

Himchan laughs as he spots their teammate making his rounds with one of the camera crews. "Okay."

Junhong is in front of them, then, flag round his shoulders. He says through a glorious smile, "Why are you standing back here? We've just won the fucking world cup!"

"We know, we know." Himchan lets his taller teammate worm his way in between him and Jongup and throw an arm over both of their shoulders.

"And? How does it feel?"

"Honestly?"  Himchan replies, "Incredible."


End file.
